Criminal Justice News

Monday, August 18, 2014

Armenian Power Associate Sentenced to More Than 13 Years in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy

An associate of the Armenian Power gang, who was convicted at trial
for his role in a racketeering conspiracy that included stealing
personal and financial information of elderly bank customers for
accounts valued at more than $25 million, was sentenced to serve 168
months in prison today in federal court in Los Angeles.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice
Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephanie Yonekura
of the Central District of California and Assistant Director in Charge
Bill L. Lewis of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office made the
announcement.
The sentence was imposed by U.S. District Judge Philip S. Gutierrez of the Central District of California.

Andranik Aloyan, 41, of Los Angeles was found guilty by a federal jury
on Feb. 11, 2014, of racketeering conspiracy, attempted bank fraud,
access device fraud, four counts of aggravated identity theft and
possession of a firearm by a convicted felon.
According to evidence presented at trial, Aloyan possessed personal and
financial information belonging to more than 75 mostly elderly customers
of banks operating throughout the country.
This information was stolen by Aloyan and his associates.
The combined value of the accounts for which Aloyan possessed account information exceeded $25 million dollars.
In addition to his prison term of 168 months, Aloyan was sentenced to
serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $3,516,711 in
restitution to victims.

Aloyan was among 90 individuals charged in two indictments, including a
140-count indictment in July 2011 charging 70 defendants with a variety
of criminal activities associated with the Armenian Power gang.
The indictment accused 29 defendants, including Aloyan, of participating
in the Armenian Power racketeering conspiracy that involved a host of
illegal activities such as sophisticated bank fraud, identity theft,
debit-card skimming, manufacturing counterfeit checks and money
laundering.
In addition, defendants in the case were allegedly involved in a variety
of violent crimes, such as kidnapping, extortion and firearms offenses,
along with other crimes including drug trafficking and illegal
gambling.
Eighty-one defendants have previously been convicted or pleaded guilty
to the charges, including 24 defendants who were convicted of or pleaded
guilty to racketeering charges.

According to court documents, the Armenian Power street gang formed in the East Hollywood district of Los Angeles in the 1980s.
The gang’s membership consisted primarily of individuals of Armenian
descent, as well as of other countries within the former Soviet bloc.
Armenian Power has been designated under California state law as a
criminal street gang and is believed to have more than 250 documented
members, as well as hundreds of associates. According to court
documents, Armenian Power members and associates regularly carry out
violent criminal acts, including murders, attempted murders,
kidnappings, robberies, extortions and witness intimidation to enrich
its members and associates and preserve and enhance the power of the
criminal enterprise.

The case was investigated by the Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force,
which is comprised of the FBI, the Glendale Police Department, the Los
Angeles Police Department, the Burbank Police Department, the Los
Angeles Sheriff’s Department, the Internal Revenue Service, U.S.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations
and the U.S. Secret Service.

The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Andrew Creighton of the
Criminal Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section and Assistant U.S.
Attorneys Martin Estrada, Elizabeth Yang and Stephen Wolfe of the
Central District of California.